Perfect flatbreads, for free

I met Jamie online and at the end of our first encounter I’m giving him a huge thumbs up.

These are the easiest breads you’ll ever make, I’m assured, and with that short statement a man named James Currie – who begs to be known henceforth as Jamie – is on track for new best friendship. Jamie is going to show me – teach me “by doing” – how to make perfect flatbreads, for free.

This isn’t about the bread; it’s about the relationship. I met Jamie online and at the end of our first encounter I’m giving him a huge thumbs up. I found him on a British app called Workshop, a platform for cookery education. Workshop has teamed with a number of suppliers of cookery-based educational video content and packaged it in such a way that you feel you’re in a class and cooking right alongside the tutor. Zero-nonsense yet personable video explanation; a still graphic to summarise what’s just been shown; swipe, when you’re ready, and off it goes again with the next step.

It sounds so simple. I’ve had an old iPad in the kitchen for years and heaven knows how much content is out there, on YouTube particularly, but this material and approach has been designed to teach rather than merely demonstrate. “Our mission at Workshop is to uncover the best methods for allowing teachers to pass on their knowledge using technology,” they say. And it’s true.

Jamie and I got started with something anyone could do – minimal ingredients and equipment, virtually no method – and by the end of the session I not only had four delicious, flaky flatbreads, one of which I teamed with an egg for lunch, and a recipe I felt I never needed to consult again. And I was already thinking about variations. I had learnt. I felt rather kindly towards my tutor, too.

I swiped right to meet someone new: hello Benjamina. Ms Ebuehi was a quarter-finalist on The Great British Bake Off, apparently, and beneath her brief profile was a list of everything I would need – equipment and ingredients – to learn how to make a Victoria sponge, something I’d never previously considered. And I was still in Free Sessions. The first thing I learn – this is the power of video over print – is what my butter and sugar should look like when it’s been properly beaten. Cakes are uncharted territory for me, so everything Benjamina says is new knowledge, educational. We are going to make a beautiful sponge together, Benjamina and I, and I have no doubt it will be the beginning of a whole new kitchen interest. As soon as I find my stand mixer.

Of course, Workshop doesn’t give everything away; that would be a poor business model. Jamie’s flatbread module is one of five on the basics of bread, for $14.99; Benjamina has another three modules on “Essential Baking Skills”. The other freebie teasers are on cocktails and tempering chocolate. But there’s a whole lot of other stuff that isn’t teased: Breads of Italy, for example, three four-hour modules for $30.99. I can definitely see myself tackling Simple Sushi. Indian Breads. Mastering Samosas.

There’s even a 24-week professional certificate course provided online by Leiths School of Food and Wine, London for £1495 ($2720; July commencement has a waiting list). Those who want full accreditation can do a two-day optional assessment in London for an extra £600 ($1090). It’s cheaper than going to London and doing the equivalent course at the school, which takes several months.